Method of coating gloves



Patented Nov. 28 1939 METHOD OF COATING GLOVES Edward E. Montgomery,

Coshocton, Ohio, assign- -or to Edmont Manufacturing Company,

shocton, Ohio, a corn oration of Ohio,

No Drawing. Application December 8, 1938,

Serial No.

1 Claim. 01. 91-68 This invention relates .to a method of producing a roughened or suede-like surface upon the exterior or selected parts of .the exterior of articles of wearing apparel, such as work cloth- 5 ing, and is especially intended for the application of such surface to gloves.

For many years gloves used by physicians and surgeons and in various industrial arts have been formed of seamless rubber. At an early date it was found that the smoothness of the glove, as commonly made, was objectionable, a more positive and efficient gripping or non-slip surface being needed, particularly on the. fingers and palm. In order to provide such adequate gripping surfaces, rubber gloves were treated to roughen the surface or a part of the surface.

Various roughening treatments have been proposed and used. The action is generally effected during the process of preparing the rubber gloves from aqueous dispersions of rubber latex and most commonly involves the use of electrodeposition, well known coagulation methods or equally well known swelling methods. By dipping in swelling agents a wrinkled or wavy roughened outer surface of peculiarappearance is obtained. The numerous methods which use a coagulant, include spraying with wet latex or a combination of latex and coagulant to obtain a rough or pebble-like surface. It has also been proposed to deposit a layer ofcomminuted material and a layer of rubber latex upon a layer of coagulant on a support and remove the layers from the support when they have adhered.

One of the earliest metho-ds proposed, for giv-, ing a rubber glove a roughened ISurfac was by ,sifting o1; dusting powdered rubber over {the surface of the fingers, thumb and palm of the glove, and subsequently dipping the glove in liquid rubber in order to compel the adherence of the fine particles.

In recent. years considerable attention has been given the coating of textile fabric gloves powdered rubber or groun has heretofore been cause of the irregular confi to apply the fibrous matt (1 rubber particles, it

considered necessary, be-

guration' of the glove, er in the form of a bath of latex having the fibrous fiock dispersed 5 the liquid latex and, in consequence, produces a surface texture and effect even and roughened, is predominantly coating, has smooth spaces between heretowhich, although una latex spaced lumps and is distinctly different in texture and appearance from a surface formed by deposited particles of ground rubber, devoid of latex or other suspension or dispers ion medium.

One of the principal objects of my invention s the production of a true pearance and efiicient non-slip surface to gloves of canvas or other textile suede or leather apfabric.

Another object of the invention the provision of a practical, easy and economical method of applying a suede or leather finish coating to 'fabric gloves, either to gloves completely covered with rubber or to gloves which have rubber only on selected portions, such Another object is the as fingers and palm.

provision of an economical and efiicient method of producing a roughened exterior surface upon gloves, whether of 30 leather or rubber, or

of fabric.

My method, although applicable to. rubber gloves, is primarily intended for the coating of canvas or 'pther textile fabric gloves, and conltemplates the coating of either the entire surfaceboruolis. I 1 1/ 1 1 lof the gloves or selected Broadly, stated, my method ing one-or more foundation comprises applycoatings of latex rubber to the exterior surface of. a glove and forcibly depositing dry or substantially dry particles ofrubber upon the final surface coat while the surface is wet or tacky. I

The foundation coating or. coatings may be applied in any suitable way, ing when my method is to generally by sprayaifect only a part or parts of the surface, but otherwise preferably by dipping or submerging the fabric glove one or more times in a bath of latex rubber. Instead of dipping the glove in rubber it may be sprayed with an adhesive material,

e. g., rubber cement or latex. Or the foundation or body coat of latex may be applied by both dippingand spraying before putting on the roughening coating.

. After the glove has been w th atex. either by dippin fabricated and coated g orspraying or both,

tacky, particles. of rubber, preferably in the form of finely ground or shredded rubber scrap, ob-

-' particles therein. or the tained from reclaimed rubber or old tire carcasses or other suitable source, are deposited upon'it. These particles, when thus deposited, are in dry or substantially dry condition and unmixed with liquid latex or other vehicle or suspension medium. If deposited upon the latex coating by strewing or siftingthem over the surface, either manually or by mechanical means, or in any way other than by positive and forcible contact of the ground material with the surface, adhesion is uncertain, uneven and inadequate, a considerable proportion of the particles either failing to attach themselves to some parts of the latext coating or becoming attached only lightly and insecurely. The resulting finish coat is lacking in the desired degree of roughness and permanency, many of the particles applied in this manner quickly sloughing off when the glove is put into use. In order to form a surface mostclosely resembling suede and having the desired roughness, stability and serviceability, I have found it necessary to embed the particles in the wet or tacky. latex coating either completely or to a greater extent than can be obtained through ordinary sprinkling, sifting or strewing methods.

This I accomplish by the use of force or pressure. in depositing the particles, the preferred method being to spray the ground particles against the wet or tacky latex surface by one or more compressed air spray guns. These may be arranged at suitable points and angles in a chamber or tunnel into or through which the gloves to be coated may be passed, tocreate a moreor 7 less violent swirling or turbulence of the ground 7 air guns may be disposed to discharge the particles directly against the surface of the glove under an air pressure of preferably from forty -to one hundred pounds, dependent upon the size of the rubber particles. However arranged, the air guns, to be efllcient in the operation of my process, must create a sufilcient carrying power to cause a forcible propulsion of the particles against the surface. By varying the air pressure thin the limits which invention, however, and may will provide a sufflcient carrying power, as ex:- plained) different suede effects can be obtained.

Variations in color or shade and, to a certain extent, in texture of the surface may be effected by use of rubber of different colors and by mixing with the ground rubber ground or shredded particles of fibre or leather in diflerent relative quantities, the proportionate quantity of fibre or leather being preferably small, relative to the quantity of ground rubber.

After the roughening coat is applied the glove is allowed to dry thoroughly, or, to hasten the completion of the process, may be dried in a drying oven or by any vulcanized in the manner usuallyemployed in the production of rubber gloves and other dipped articles. The vulcanizing forms no part of my be omitted if de-.

sired.

If, upon completion of the glove with its suede or roughened surface, it is found that it has attached to it surplus material that has not properly adhered to the latex coat, the surplus par- .ticles may be blown off by means of the compressed air gun, or maybe removed by tumblin the glove in a revolving drum or cage.

As the result of actual tests and practical use of gloves produced gripping surface, either dry or wet, than an ordinary smooth all rubber or latex coated fabric glove, which is extremely slipp ry when wet or other suitable means. The glove, with its roughened coating, may be by my improved method, it has been found that they provide a much better produced by my method, as compared with rubber or fabric gloves provided with a surface coat ofJeather or cotton flock, or even ground rubber, mixed with a latex or other suspension me-' dium and applied either by dipping or spraying.

I claim:

The method of producing a glove which consists in forming the glove in the desired shape, submerging the glove in liquid latex, and, while the said latex surface is wet or tacky, spraying particles of dry ground rubber thereon by a compressed air Esnrriray gun.

WARD E. MOll'I'GOMER-Y. 

